Apple, known for giving cautious forecasts, also said it expects earnings per share in the current quarter of 54 cents to 56 cents and revenue of $4.8 billion to $4.9 billion. Consensus estimates put Apple's second quarter per-share profit at 60 cents.

Apple said net income for its fiscal first quarter ended Dec. 30 rose to $1.004 billion, or $1.14 a share, from $565 million, or 65 cents a share, in the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose to $7.12 billion from $5.75 billion.

A consensus estimate compiled by Thomson First Call predicted Apple reporting a first-quarter profit of 78 cents a share. The results compared with Apple's own earlier forecast of earnings per share of 70 cents to 73 cents and revenue of $6.0 billion to $6.2 billion.

The most recent quarter was Apple's first-ever with profits reaching $1 billion. Apple shipped 1.6 million Macs and more than 21 million iPods during the quarter, representing growth of 28% and 50% respectively from the year-ago holiday season.